Farmington man dies in Route 27 crash

NEW VINEYARD — Police say William Ellsworth, 57, of Farmington was killed after his van crossed the centerline of Route 27 on Friday morning and struck a tractor-trailer head-on.

Daniel French, 29, of Alfred was driving the Hirschbank Co. truck with an empty box north when Ellsworth’s 1999 Plymouth Voyager van crossed into his lane at about 9:15 a.m., Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said.

French suffered minor injuries and was taken to Franklin Memorial Hospital by NorthStar ambulance for an evaluation, Nichols said.

The truck was forced off the road about a mile north of the Farmington town line.

Witnesses at the scene told police the van crossed the line. There were no skid marks from the van to indicate an attempt to avoid the collision, Nichols said. The van was totaled.

Route 27 was closed to traffic Friday morning. Due to a fuel leak from the tractor-trailer, the Department of Environmental Protection was called to the scene.